East County News Service

Photo by Dennis Richardson

September 9, 2021 (San Diego) - A statewide Flex Alert has been extended today due to high heat forecast across California and the west through Friday. All California residents are asked to conserve electricity to avoid the need for rolling outages.

“Conserving electricity during the late afternoon and early evening is crucial because that is when the grid is most stressed due to higher demand and declining solar energy production,” the ISO reports.

By Mike Allen

Photo: A community choice energy option would give residents an option to buy electrical power from the county instead of from SDG&E. Many Lakeside residents objected to SDG&E’s construction of  Sunrise Powerlink high-voltage lines through scenic areas such as the El Capitan reservoir (photo, left)  and El Monte Valley in Lakeside.  CCA plans also enable local governments to provide power from clean, renewable resources such as solar The electricity would still flow through powerlines and infrastructure maintained by SDG&E, but profits off energy production would flow to the county to benefit taxpayers, not SDG&E shareholders.

August 1, 2019 (Lakeside) - That the county is on the verge of declaring a community choice aggregate (CCA) appears evident, given the tenor of a recent forum held at the Lakeside Community Center July 30. Under the CCA, the county would buy and sell electrical power to residents and businesses, providing an alternative for consumers to SDG&E. The board is scheduled to receive a final report on the issue Sept. 10, and take a vote either then or soon after. 

January 19, 2013 (Santee) – The California Public Utilities Commission is expected to soon hold a hearing on its proposed decision finding that Quail Brush and Pio Pico gas-fired power plants are not needed. 

A letter from Preserve Wild Santee states that the CPUC decision has twice been delayed due to “industry lobbying behind closed doors.” Preserve Wild Santee, an environmental group that has lobbied against the power plants, now asks citizens to write to Governor Jerry Brown and ask him to speak out for the public interest and prevent SDG&E/Congentrix from obtaining a decision that would allow “another ratepayer rip-off.”